The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday kept to its promise to bring fresh faces to next year’s legislative elections by adding two more political newcomers to its list of candidates — Freddy Lim (林昶佐) and Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸).
Hung, 32, gained national recognition after the 2013 death of her brother — army corporal Hung Chung-chiu (洪仲丘) — triggered an avalanche of protests demanding better protection of human rights in the military, while Lim, 39, is the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Chthonic and former chair of Amnesty International’s Taiwan chapter.
The duo announced their candidacy at a small breakfast store in Taipei yesterday morning to symbolize their belief that politics “should not be viewed as something distant and removed from our everyday lives.”
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
“Ever since my brother’s incident, we have been helped by many people who stood with us on our quest for fairness and justice,” Hung Tzu-yung said, adding that as a political outsider, she initially struggled with her decision to enter politics.
“It is my hope that whenever we encounter difficulties, we will not bow to fate or give up easily,” she added.
Hung Tzu-yung won praise for her leading role in the campaign following the death of her brother, in which she led more than 200,000 protesters in a march to demand more transparency in the military’s investigative efforts.
Their decision pits Hung Tzu-yung against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) in Taichung’s third electoral district — which includes the city’s northern Tanzi (潭子), Daya (大雅), Shengang (神岡) and Houli (后里) districts, while Lim is set to challenge KMT Legislator Chiang Nai-hsin (蔣乃辛) in Taipei’s Daan District (大安).
Despite Daan’s reputation as a KMT stronghold, Lim said that his decision to run there came “naturally,” as he was born and raised in the area.
Amid an explosion of candidates from minor parties entering the race, Lim could find himself competing for votes with the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) Fan Yun (范雲), a professor of sociology at National Taiwan University, who is reportedly considering running in Daan.
The launch of two activist parties — the SDP and the NPP — was the result of a split in civic group Taiwan Citizen’s Union, after its members encountered irreconcilable differences regarding its legislative nomination mechanism.
Academia Sinica researcher Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), who played a leading role in the Sunflower movement protests last year, said that he fully supported the NPP’s cause of pursuing reform in the legislature.
Huang said the two latest NPP candidates showed courage, as they differed from many local candidates who received backing from local “political dynasties” or large business conglomerates.
According to a report by the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) last month, Hung Tzu-yung’s uncle, Hu Shih-ho (胡世和), is also considering running as an independent in New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang District (新莊).
Lim and Hung Tzu-yung’s decision to enter the race followed on the heels of human rights lawyers Hu Po-yen (胡博硯) and Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) — both attorneys in the Hung Chung-chiu case — who announced their decision to run on the NPP ticket last week.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS